London Archives - Page 92 of 149

19Feb

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Text & Delete – King’s Head Theatre

We’ve all had a flatmate we’ve hated right? Two women who are each other’s complete opposites attempt to coexist in a flat share, and after deeply hidden secret is revealed, we explore the continuum from enemies to budding friends. A fantastic new show, from In Her Element theatre production bringing together drama and comedy for a one act production full of laughs and unexpected comfort. The staging of this show at the King’s Head Theatre was well done, the small space was made to look like a living/dining room through furniture and through characters being off stage when they were in bedrooms or the kitchen. This made the production feel so intimate, like we were spectators sitting inside their living room. Both actresses multi role in this show and they do it fantastically. ...

19Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Medea – Soho Place

Soho Place’s second classic, since recently opening as the newest West End theatre, is ‘Medea’ played by Sophie Okonedo and directed by Dominic Cooke. This tale is renowned, presenting to the world a woman consumed with revenge. Opposite her is Ben Daniels, taking on all male parts swiftly moving between characters like putting on fresh new skin. The space being in the round completed this picture of judgement circling Medea as she mourns the life she left behind, killing her own brother and defying her city to live a life with Jason. Upon arrival, Jason moves on to Creon’s daughter with the desire of power and wealth, leaving Medea and their two children. As the tragedy begins, Medea wails beneath the stage as her nurse seeks our guidance. Placed within the audience, the Women of Corin...

19Feb

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

The Masks of Aphra Behn – The Space

Seeing passionate performances is always a beautiful experience, and performers who love their work are always an enjoyable company. Even more so if they are former spies. The Masks of Aphra Behn, written and performed by Claire Louise Amias and directed by Pradeep Jey, is being brought back to The Space in the context of a fundraiser to build a statue in Canterbury commemorating Aphra Behn. This interesting piece is a well told story about the adventures of the historic figure as a spy. The play begins with one mask, the only physical mask we will see during the performance. The other metaphorical masks will come in and out in a succession of interesting intrigues and political affairs. The actor and writer Clare Louise Amias strongly connects from the very beginning with the audien...

18Feb

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Phaedra – The National Theatre

Simon Stone’s take on this Greek Tragedy finds itself in a domestic setting, ostensibly a quintessentially British family sitcom. It feels familiar, from the witty, jesting Dad (Paul Chahidi), to the moody teenage son (Archie Barnes), the uptight, activist daughter (Mackenzie Davis) and the quirky son-in-law (John MacMillan). But in spite of the sharp back-and-forths and intellectual masturbation, the mother, Helen’s cool, detached demeanour belies an unsettling tension. The family eagerly await their guest, Sofiane (Assaad Bouab), the son of Helen’s dead Moroccan lover Ashraf. His arrival creates a seismic wave over the family, as he seems to exude a profound peace, intrigue and wisdom. When it becomes clear that Helen and Sofiane hold different versions of Ashraf’s death, Sofiane rages b...

17Feb

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Bootycandy – Gate Theatre

This wasn’t a normal night at the theatre. It felt like a 1960s ‘happening’ but with smart phones in place of LSD and a post-modern, clued-up crowd who‘ve seen previous generations failed dreams and repeated ‘revolutions’ and have taken to TikTok to cuss their hippy forbears. The Summer of Love died and became the Bummer of Life. Welcome to 2023. There was a domestic installation near the entrance of the theatre, a little pop-up kitchen, complete with electric hob and saucepans full of condoms, lube and sexual health info. ’Black Joy is Power’ said one of the stickers, while brilliantly bigging up STI home testing kits and PrEP The show is presented in the round and as the lively audience took their seats, an ‘80s soul soundtrack span a semi disco vibe as Cheryl Lynn and Michael Jack...

17Feb

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

Love Rash – Pleasance Theatre

First impressions can deceive. When the stage lights up, we see the least believable face possible, with a weird rictus in the face, and an even weirder voice filling the space, then the fear of having to endure a whole show like that becomes strong. Oh, my, how first impressions can deceive. Weirdness was just the tip of the iceberg (…or should I say fatberg?). From writer/performer Natasha Sutton Williams, this one-woman show of comedy at the Pleasance Theatre is an exhilarating and alienating incursion into human beings' desires and lust for connection. The first character (and the last) to appear is Gary Strange, a curious and thoughtful individual who screams offering for help from the sewers to the people who he records with his cassette recorder. He introduces us to the other cha...

Standing At The Sky’s Edge – National Theatre

16Feb

By Chloe StallibrassNo Comments

London

Standing At The Sky’s Edge – National Theatre

Where to begin. Upon entering the theatre you're met with an ominous set of a building standing as tall as it can be, with the famous artwork of the "I Love You Will U Marry Me" sign, bringing you straight into the location of the show: Sheffield Park Hill. The musical follows three individual families living under the same roof throughout various timelines, telling the story of the occupants in the flat and covering family troubles and dilemmas. The music for this show fits in so perfectly. The music styles vary from soft and loving all the way to repressed and angry, without taking the audience aback the music had the power to knit the whole show together beautifully. A couple of songs really reached out to strike the hearts of the audience and received a very loud round of applause, ...

16Feb

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Graceland – Royal Court Theatre

Graceland by Ava Wong Davies and directed by Anna Himali Howard and Izzy Rabey features the character Nina a British Chinese woman in her mid-20 who falls in love with a wealthy white man who captivates her attention at an ‘optimistic’ Barbecue. Nina is played by Sabrina Wu who gives a convincing performance as she engages with the audience and addresses the absent other people depicting her up and down relationship with her ‘man’, which ends badly for her. The setting, an attic based room with minimal light, bed, duvet and pillow within an earthy mud filled space that Nina moves into throughout the play which creates moments of drama, when acting out the unfolding conflict and her sheer tenacity in what is, ever changing life events. Her turbulent relationship and self- depreciating b...

16Feb

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Wasteman – Vault Festival

Attended Wasteman at the Vault Festival on the same day it was announced that the subterranean performance jamboree is currently under threat. Having run in the formerly derelict tunnels in Waterloo since 2012, VAULT Festival has helped build the reputation of The Vaults over the past 11 years, bringing over 3,000 shows to more than 400,000 people. It’s like having an intense, bijou Edinburgh Festival in the depths of the capital and one might argue, it’s a tad more affordable and easier to manage. According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘wasteman’ is what ‘you call a boy who’s a waste of space and is gonna be nothing in life’. British MC and rapper, Lady Leshurr extended the insult to a former Prime Minister in Queen’s Speech 7, "Who stood up when Grenfell? Where's all the money we raised t...

The Oyster Problem – Jermyn Street Theatre

15Feb

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Oyster Problem – Jermyn Street Theatre

Gustave Flaubert's most famous work, Madame Bovary, made him one of France's most celebrated 19th century writers. A trial on obscenity charges arising from the novel created a scandal that raised the novel's public visibility. Orlando Figes' debut play is not about that period of Flaubert's life but looks instead at what happened to him after his fortunes dwindled, an investment into the sawmill of his niece's husband crashed, and his work came to all but a standstill. Figes (a renowned historian of Russian and European History) takes his material for the play from a series of letters written between Flaubert and members of his literary circle, along with other historical records. Flaubert's close friend was the celebrated Russian author, Ivan Turgenev, with Emile Zola, the youngest...